Mayor’s Row………by Ned Mitchell
Greetings from city hall in Sesser where we are happy that winter is over and we can begin getting ready for spring and warmer weather. What you say, winter has not yet even begun? We believe in positive thinking in Sesser and now that we have had our first substantial snow and frigid temperatures, surely winter is behind us. I only wish that were true but I must in all honesty report that the 3 o’clock coffee group at the Opera House Café recently sliced open persimmon seeds and discovered the sign of a spoon inside which means lots of snow this winter according to legend. On the bright side though if you live in Sesser and get snowbound we are only a phone call away and will assist you with sidewalks, groceries, or errands. Just give us a call and we’ll get you the help you need.
In addition to the new food pantry being operated by the ministerial alliance out of city hall we also now are told the Hotline is open once again at the Goode Township Community Building. The Hotline is open from 9 am to 1 pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Sue Lemons has agreed to operate the Hotline and she may be reached at 625-5135 if you have items to donate. This is a valuable service to our community and it closed sometime ago due to vandalism on the premises. Now it is open for the public and we appreciate Sue for taking on this responsibility.
You read it here first about Edwin Eisendrath the former Chicago alderman and HUD official in the Clinton administration, running for governor in the democratic primary. I realize sometimes my political thinking does not set well with the mainstream democrats, but that is one thing about being an American, we have choices and the opportunity to voice our opinions.
One of my favorite writers is John Kass who is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Some of you readers and fellow democrats who think I am tough on politicians should read his column. There are others I like to read too, including local writer Jim Muir at the Southern and I like listening to Scott Doody, The workin’ man on 103.9 FM. Of course I don’t always agree with them but most of the time I do. It is just amazing though that some folks build up a hatred for someone who speaks their own mind. Writers and radio hosts merely voice their opinions on a variety of subjects and try to open you each of us to think. Whether you agree or not is immaterial if the written or spoken words cause us to think about what is going on.
Columnist Kass recently said that politicians have big mouths and tiny feet. They need the big mouths to talk to us and the tiny feet to keep from stepping on the toes of big important people. Recent studies have shown that Illinois holds the honor of being the most corrupt state in the union, just ahead of New Jersey. Now there is a record we can all be proud of! The big mouth and tiny feet theory comes from a story about republican Bob Kjellander better known as “Big Bob”. Kjellander handled a huge pension bond sale for the reformer/unreformer governor in Illinois and despite doing no work on the program was paid a whopping 4 million dollar fee. “Big Bob” donated lots of money to the reformer/unreformer I am told. So when our elected politicians use their big mouths to talk to us they do so in such a manner as to not step on the toes of guys like “Big Bob”. Kass has hit the nail on the head when he terms this whole mess in Illinois as a political combine that involves both parties. One republican candidate for governor has called Judy Barr Topinka the name of Topinkavich. That is to say there is no difference in the two. They both share the same political philosophy in many respects and both are tied to money scandals in the state. In my opinion, neither one of them deserves to be elected governor of this state. This is exactly why Edwin Eisendrath is making plans to run for governor and it is exactly why if he does I will support his candidacy. First, because I am a democrat I will be voting in the democratic primary and secondly because I am sick of scandal after scandal in this state. I believed the reformer/unreformer when he campaigned on the promise to “end business as usual” in state government. Sadly, in my opinion it has become worse. Jobs have been handed out to the least qualified time after time even when highly qualified people were passed over. They just were not connected, never mind the fact they had college degrees and experience, that did not matter. The reformer/unreformer in his need to fill every possible position with a political “hack” does not deserve to be re-elected. Trust me, I don’t want any of you to have any doubts about where I am at on this or other matters. We can do better and hopefully we will have an opportunity as democrats and Illinoisans to right this ship before it sinks amidst all of these federal investigations.
One last thing on the reformer/unreformer governor that hit me wrong. On the evening of last week’s snow as I was shoveling my drive I happened to think the governor is so out of touch with reality he has had a heated drive installed at the mansion in Springfield. All he has to do is flip a switch and presto the snow and ice disappear. Then the thought came to mind, he does not use the mansion in Springfield, he stays in Chicago so he has to hire someone to flip the switch in Springfield, unless he has a remote control switch with him in Chicago. If this waste of tax money did not infuriate me so much it would be comical. I need to work on a top 10 list of reasons on why this guy needs to go!
Sesser’s streets are all decorated with Christmas lights and decorations and we thank the members of the Fire Protection District who each year volunteer their time and labor to make our town look its best. Joyce Gunter and her workers take care of the Opera House and street light posts. City workers put up the nativity scene on the lawn at city hall, and yes we still put up the nativity scene. I know that might offend some folks but if you drive down Main Street and when you get to city hall, look to the south if the nativity scene offends you. There is a nice vacant lot there and not that I would draw any conclusions about your life and a barren vacant lot, but you do what suits you best. Since we try to please everyone around here you have the option to look at the nativity scene or look the other way at the vacant lot. Draw you own conclusions!
City and township employees and elected officials will be having our annual Christmas dinner on Friday the 23rd of December upstairs in the Opera House Annex. This is a special time of year for me as two units of local government who work hand in hand throughout the year take time to get together for a meal and some time together. This year city employees were given a $200.00 bonus for full time and $100.00 for part time. We also gave employees the choice of a free turkey or ham as a small way of saying thanks for all they do to make Sesser a better place to live.
Tickets are still available for the Madrigal Feaste that will be performed at the Opera House Annex on Saturday, December 17th. This event will feature a meal and performance of a production written by Sesser’s Darren Hutson and should be a good time. The performers are all local people. The cost for the meal and show is $15.00 but tickets are limited to 60. If you are interested call their box office at 927-0860. The meal will be catered by Kristy’s. This will be much better than a trip to the mall!
If you need us, give us a call at 625-3611, 625-5322, or 625-5788 or write to nedmitchell@verizon.net or www.sesser.org
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